Is Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte headed to the Hall of Fame?

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerOver 16 seasons, pitcher Andy Pettitte compiled a 240-138 record with a 3.88 ERA. He also won five World Series rings.

NEW YORK — Andy Pettitte has yet to utter a public word about his retirement. But already, a full five years before he is even eligible for the ballot, Pettitte’s Hall of Fame worthiness has become the subject of debate.

Pettitte’s career numbers alone don’t paint a clear path toward Cooperstown. His 240-138 record and 3.88 ERA over 16 seasons are generally considered very good, but fall just short of Hall of Fame-level dominance.

Despite Pettitte’s steadiness during the Yankees’ dynastic run, he was never considered the ace of his staff.

Proponents will point to his five World Series championships and his extensive work in the postseason.

He is the all-time leader with 19 playoff victories, a key selling point for those who believe he belongs in Cooperstown.

Still, Pettitte’s candidacy comes with a wild card: Pettitte was among those implicated in the Mitchell Report in 2007, but broke from the mold by publicly admitting his use of a performance-enhancing drug.

As time passes, Pettitte’s admission that he used human growth hormone could spare him the Mark McGwire treatment from voters. Ultimately, Pettitte’s playoff record and success in New York may be enough to earn him enshrinement, though it will be on a similar track to longtime hopeful Bert Blyleven. A sampling of opinions from others who cover baseball:

Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated
“Unfortunately, Pettitte’s retirement announcement quickly will devolve into the usual “is he a Hall of Famer?” paint-by-numbers portrait. (Quickly: close, but no. He was among the top seven among his league’s pitchers in WAR just twice. He will go on the ballot in five years with Ken Griffey Jr., Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner and make a strong showing.)”

Joe Pawlikowski, FanGraphs
“By the numbers, Pettitte probably doesn’t have the strongest case, but we know that writers don’t always go by the numbers. As we’ve seen with many pitchers in the past, his case will be built around postseason performances and the five rings he owns. That might be enough to get him in after a few years on the ballot. In terms of his actual case, I’m not sure it’s strong enough.”

Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports
“They give a guy a five-year waiting period for a reason, but my quick reaction is no, Pettitte is not a Hall of Famer. ... Pettitte has been good — at times very good — but never great. His postseason performance helps him, but it’s easy to overstate that, too.”

Rob Neyer, SB Nation
“By the Hall of Fame’s historical standards, Andy Pettitte is a marginal candidate who did everything well but nothing brilliantly, and would probably be enshrined after a moderately long wait. ... Would I vote for him? That’s a tough one. There are pitchers like Pettitte who aren’t in the Hall, but there are probably more like Pettitte who are. I think I probably would vote for him, with those 19 postseason wins just pushing him over the bar.”

PETTITTE BY THE NUMBERS:

48 — Pettitte’s victory total for the first decade in the new century (2000-2009), the most of any pitcher. Pettitte ranks ahead of Johnson (143) and Jamie Moyer (140).

26 — Pitchers all-time to finish their careers 100 games or more above the .500 mark. Pettitte went 240-138 with a .635 winning percentage.5 — World Series rings. Pettitte appeared in eight World Series, including one with the Astros.

3.83 — Pettitte’s postseason ERA over 42 career playoff starts. Of those, all but four came with the Yankees. In his Yankees playoff starts, he posted a 3.79 ERA.

2 — Pettitte’s rank in Yankees history in strikeouts (1,823) and starts (396). In both categories, he trails only Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, who compiled 1,956 strikeouts in 438 starts for the Yankees.

1 — Pettitte’s rank among major-league pitchers in victories from his rookie season in 1995 to his final season in 2010, ahead of Greg Maddux (224) and Randy Johnson (222).

LIFE AFTER ANDY:

An early look at the rotation for the Yankees and the pitchers who could fill the holes.